Tripartite deal to integrate plan of action RMG on fire safety signed

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FE Report The government, the employers' and workers' organisations signed a fresh plan of action Thursday to integrate the plan of action on fire safety and a joint statement signed earlier between the three parties after the Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza collapse. The integrated National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity in the Garment Sector of Bangladesh (NTPA) brings together the National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety in the RMG Sector signed on March 24, 2013 in response to the Tazreen factory fire and the Joint Tripartite Statement adopted on May 4 last in the wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy. The signing of the NTPA was held during a tripartite meeting at the ministry of labour and employment (MoLE). Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar, Bangldesh Employers Federation President M Fazlul Hoque, BGMEA Vice President (Finance), Reaz-Bin-Mahmood, BKMEA First Vice President Mohammad Hatem, NCCWE Chairman Sukkur Mahmud and IBC Secretary-General Roy Ramesh Chandra signed the new plan. An ILO press release said the integrated NTPA identifies activities that the tripartite partners agree fall within their individual and/or collective responsibility and need to be implemented to ensure an integrated approach to promoting fire safety and building integrity in Bangladesh, in particular in the RMG sector. The plan sets out legislation and policy, administrative and practical activities, as well as the respective partner(s) responsible for the implementation of the activities, and a timeframe for implementation. The ILO which has already developed a 3-year programme on Improving Working Conditions in the RMG Sector to support implementation of the NTPA was also requested to assist in the implementation and coordination of the integrated NTPA. Key activities identified in the integrated NTPA include assessment of the structural integrity and fire safety of RMG factory buildings, strengthening labour inspection, worker and management training and awareness of occupational safety and health and worker rights and rehabilitation of disabled workers. Implementation of these activities will be monitored by a High-Level Tripartite Committee, which will be chaired by the MoLE secretary. The committee will review and update the Plan of Action as necessary, including for activities to be carried out this year and in 2014 and 15; and develop ways through which other stakeholders can support implementation of - and coordination with - the integrated NTPA. The labour secretary said, "It is vital that we address fire safety and structural integrity in a coordinated manner. This plan of action brings together two sets of important commitments by the government and employers and workers' organisations, which will consolidate the momentum for improvements in RMG factory safety in Bangladesh." Director of the ILO Office in Dhaka Srinivas B Reddy welcomed the effort and said this endorsement of the integrated National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity will be the main framework document for improving working conditions in the garment industry in Bangladesh. "It is another important step in our progression towards improving worker safety in the RMG sector in Bangladesh," he added.